The Potions Master's Mistake
by LouiseHilton
Summary: A conversation in the staffroom leads Severus Snape to try to understand his students more, but he learns a secret that he wishes he had never known.
1. Private Thoughts

_Unfortunately, these characters do not belong to me. I'm just playing in J.K.R.'s sandbox._

 _This universe is canon until the end of Goblet of Fire._

 _M rating for sexual imagery._

 _There will be 3 chapters._

* * *

 **The Potions Master's Mistake**

By Louise Hilton

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - Private Thoughts**

"I have the same problems with my house, Filius," Minerva McGonagall was saying, "but it's nothing new. The longer I teach, the more I realize that teenagers are dealing with the same emotions generation after generation."

The head of Ravenclaw House gave a sigh. "You're right, of course. I think we forget how complicated life seemed when we were that age."

"Severus has the advantage over us, there," Minerva commented. "It's not quite so many years for him to look back."

Filius smiled. "I'm sure that young Severus saw us as ancients when we taught him in his teen years."

Minerva looked over at Severus Snape, sitting a few feet away from them in the staffroom. A copy of the Daily Prophet was in front of his face, but the conversation was loud enough that he could hardly have not heard. "Feel free to disagree about our advanced age, 'young Severus'," she said, wryly.

Severus lowered a corner of his newspaper to regard her for a moment, then raised it again with no comment.

Minerva knew him well enough to have recognized the faintest hint of amusement on his lips.

She went back to the subject of the students. "Between their increasing magical powers and their hormones, it's not surprising that some of them struggle with friendships, missing their families, and schoolwork. Not to mention the effects of everything that happened last year with finally defeating Voldemort."

Filius visibly flinched, then shook himself. "Well, all we can do is try to understand them and guide them as best we can," he continued. "Don't you agree, Severus?"

Severus finally lowered his newspaper all the way.

"I don't need to understand them," he said, matter-of-factly. "My job is to teach them. I impart knowledge in the faint hope that one or two of the less ignorant ones might appreciate my efforts and have the intellect to retain it. I have no wish and make no attempt to understand their feelings."

The Gryffindor witch smiled and shook her head. "Have you ever considered that maybe they wouldn't seem quite so ignorant if you got to know them a little?"

"I have not." He folded his newspaper neatly and placed it on the coffee table, standing to head towards his classroom.

"I think you might find it worthwhile to try to understand them more," she insisted. "Consider it a challenge - you might be surprised."

"Good morning, Minerva. Filius," he said, deliberately choosing to ignore her words. He billowed from the staffroom.

Minerva and Filius exchanged glances of amused exasperation.

"Young people are so stubborn," Minerva remarked. "Now, if we can manage to drag our old bones out of these chairs, we should go and teach our classes."

 **~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~**

Severus prowled his classroom.

" _Eye_ of newt, Miss Huckleton," he snapped. "You will get entirely the wrong result if you use _that_ part of a newt's anatomy in this potion!"

Didn't these fools know how to read?

"Ten points from Hufflepuff, O'Neill! I understand why you might wish to hex your incompetent partner, but do not do it in my classroom."

"Warley, assist Miss Crane before she melts another cauldron." He had been about to terrify Crane with a more aggressive reprimand but she already looked close to tears and he really wasn't in the mood to deal with histrionics today.

And Minerva wanted him to try to understand them! He gave an irritable snort and continued prowling.

 **~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~**

It took a week before Severus grudgingly decided to give Minerva's idea a try. He had no confidence in it being anything other than a waste of his time, but his second- and third-years did seem particularly restless and annoying so he decided that investigating their feelings could be diverting for him, if nothing else. At the very least, he would have ammunition against any further attempts by Minerva and Filius to get him to adopt a more 'understanding' approach to his teaching.

He looked around his classroom at the sixth-year N.E.W.T. students. He liked a class this size - much smaller than those of the younger students. The total incompetents like Longbottom had been weeded out and had dropped the subject after their compulsory O.W.L.s, and what remained was a group who had both interest and some aptitude in the subject.

His eyes wandered over various students around the classroom. It was unfortunate that Potter and Weasley had the aim of becoming aurors and needed to continue their potions classes; he had hoped not to have to teach them this year. He didn't mind Miss Granger too much these days: he had finally had to concede that her more irritating qualities were outweighed by her considerable abilities. The same thing with Malfoy. Now that his double life as Dumbledore's spy was over, he no longer had to pretend to welcome the boy's sycophantic attentions. He had initially hoped to be rid of him, but his growing aptitude for potions had made him bearable.

He wandered around the room, regarding his students. They were 16- and 17-year-olds: there was no difficulty in understanding their emotions. Miss Parkinson could barely keep her eyes or her hands off Malfoy. Malfoy accepted her attentions without seeming to reciprocate her giggly enthusiasm. He could hardly blame him. While all the sixth-year girls were developed to the point of womanhood, Parkinson was no beauty. Still, a sixteen-year-old boy was hardly likely to turn down a willing and enthusiastic girl.

The same obviously did not hold true the other way around. Weasley was practically drooling over Miss Granger while she ignored his advances completely. She seemed indifferent to him, and regularly irritable with him in classes. He observed as Weasley took advantage of her focus on her cauldron to take a long stare at her. The boy wasn't the only one that had noticed Miss Granger's development over the last year - he had spotted many of the other boys watching her with the same expression on their faces. He stepped between the two, making them both jump.

"Passable, Weasley," he told him, "though a little heavy-handed with the armadillo bile." He turned to the girl. "A reasonable result, Miss Granger, but stirring for longer before adding each ingredient would improve it." Her back had stiffened at his sudden appearance, and she merely nodded. She really didn't like to be criticized. "I told you about the armadillo bile," she told Weasley in irritation. He looked forlorn at her words.

There you are, Minerva, he thought smugly. It's all about tangled love lives and hormones with the sixth-years. And you think I don't understand them!

 **~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~**

For Severus, more than any other teacher, finding out the exact thoughts and feelings of the students would have been easy. As a skilled Legilimens, he had the ability simply to open up the mind of almost anyone he wished. With miscreants, he could often get a glimpse at their transgressions without intentionally even using legilimency, unless he deliberately suppressed it. Weak-minded children.

He chose not to do that wherever possible, though. Invading the mind of a Death Eater was one thing; doing it to others without real cause was a violation. Dumbledore felt strongly about that, and he and Severus had agreed that it should never be done.

A superficial look at the students' emotions, however, presented no such ethical difficulties, he decided.

He held up the small vial of Empathia he had brewed overnight and drank it. It should last for about two days: plenty of time to prove that understanding the students was a waste of time and put this nonsense behind him.

His first class were second-years. He knew the potion was working as soon as they began coming into his classroom. He could sense confused waves of emotion coming from them, but nothing specific. It was like hearing many instruments playing at once, but not being able to pick out individual tunes. But it was quiet music, not overwhelming; he could sense the emotions but not feel them. He was not affected by them.

Severus explained the work that the class was to perform, then stepped back to supervise and to examine the effects of the Empathia.

At first, it was difficult even to determine what emotions he was sensing amongst the chaos, but he gradually began to distinguish them. Frustration, friendship, annoyance, jealousy, fear. He smirked inwardly at this: he didn't need Empathia to recognize the effects of an angry word to a second-year. Often, the slightest glare could do the job.

As he became accustomed to the sensation, he found his perception improving. He could tell from whom an emotion was coming.

Amusement.

"I do not award a prize for 'class clown', Jacobs. If you do that again you will be in detention."

Pride.

"No need to look so pleased with yourself, Brearley, but I suppose brewing a potion without setting fire to the classroom is something of an achievement for you."

Boredom.

"Miss Falkner, if you appear bored in my classroom, then you clearly do not have enough work to do."

Loneliness.

He found that he had no response for Parker. Perhaps he would mention it to the boy's head of house. Pomona could deal with him.

But there were more: Tension, anxiety, love, anger, hatred, unease, worry, despair. Too many for him to focus on at once. He cleared his mind and allowed them to wash over him, then carefully practiced filtering and selecting as he chose.

Instead of heading to the Great Hall at lunchtime, he opted for a sandwich brought to him in his office by a house elf. He had no wish to be bombarded with the emotions of the whole school, and he was not surprised to sense no emotion from the elf.

He did, however, feel the need to stretch his legs and, knowing most of the school to still be eating lunch, he headed for the staffroom. He passed a few students in the halls, and allowed himself to be vaguely aware of their emotions as he passed them. Of course, his own presence influenced what some of them were feeling, and he noticed fear and anxiety in many of them. He found it interesting, though, that he detected little in the way of hatred. He had expected it, but a more common response to him, apart from the fear he often intentionally created in them, seemed to be respect. Either his students appreciated his disciplinarian approach to teaching, or his involvement in last year's dealings with the Dark Lord was more widely-known than he had thought. He shrugged inwardly. It made little difference to him.

He poured himself a coffee from the pot in the staffroom and turned to head back towards the dungeon. Stepping aside to allow Minerva through the door, he paused. Irritation. Friendship. Respect. Affection. Interesting. He nodded to her, wondering which of those emotions were for him and which were already on her mind, but said nothing and continued on his way.

The halls were getting more crowded as lunch came to an end. Among others, he spotted Potter and Granger, laughing as they walked, and took a vague interest in their emotions as they passed. Potter's main feelings seemed to be amusement and friendship, but he also sensed irritation and dislike. From Miss Granger, the same amusement but also strong feelings of nervousness and attraction. Poor Weasley, the sarcastic voice inside his head smirked. Hardly surprising that she would prefer the Golden Boy over his insignificant sidekick, although what either of them could offer someone with her talents and intellect he could not fathom.

Not that it mattered. He was not interested in their private lives. He had sensed enough of the feelings from his students to realize that Minerva and Filius were right: the students' feelings were complex and overwhelming. But they were also wrong: trying to understand them was a waste of effort. Severus was here to teach them, not to help them solve their problems. He provided structure and discipline, and he had no need or wish to know what they felt about it.

He thought about brewing an antidote to the Empathia at the end of the day; it was a simple process of adding a couple of ingredients to the original potion, letting it simmer for twenty minutes, then drinking it immediately. There was no purpose in continuing this little experiment for much longer. On reflection, however, he decided that he might as well wait for the potion to wear off naturally. At least that way, Minerva and Filius could not accuse him of not taking the idea seriously.

By the next afternoon, his control over his ability was getting to the point where he was easily able to filter out extraneous feelings and focus just on what he wanted. Although he had decided not to deliberately read the emotions from his sixth-years, he couldn't help but notice some of them as he supervised their work.

In most students he sensed anxiety about the complex potion they were brewing, and a sort of general stress that seemed disconnected with his class. He supposed that all their classes were difficult this year, and their homework load was probably stressful. The situation between Malfoy and Miss Parkinson was exactly as he had expected, and they were not the only ones with the opposite sex on their minds. With the number of students whose emotions seemed to be centered on attraction (and in one or two cases, outright lust), he wondered how they managed to get any work done at all.

Weasley's emotions were a mix of nervousness and adoration that Severus found sickening. He stood behind him, unobserved, then spoke in a low but firm voice. "Weasley! Concentrate on your work."

That's when he felt it - a sudden wave of emotion from Miss Granger. Her shoulders twitched and she felt not just attraction but arousal. He felt a moment of satisfaction that he had correctly assessed the situation between Miss Granger and Potter, but then stopped in disbelief. The abilities given to him by the Empathia were becoming more finely-tuned, and he realized he could sense both the emotions and on whom they were centered. Miss Granger's feelings were not focused on Potter - she was attracted to and aroused by Severus himself.

He stepped away, confused and astounded. There was nothing in the way she acted or spoke that would have given him the slightest clue about her feelings. He must be wrong. He must have misinterpreted what the potion was telling him.

Without stopping to think, he said sharply "Miss Granger." Her eyes snapped up to meet his in surprise at his tone.

Quickly but carefully, he skimmed the surface of her mind, making certain that she would be unaware of his intrusion.

The images came quickly into his mind from hers - images that were not memories but thoughts ... fantasies ...

 _... She was in his classroom, focusing on her cauldron, and he was stepping up behind her, gently running his hand down her back, causing her to shiver with pleasure ..._

 _... They were in his office and they were kissing deeply. One of his hands was in her hair and the other pulling her body firmly against his ..._

 _... He was sitting on a comfortable couch with a book in his hand. She lay with her head on his lap, absorbed in the pages of her own book ..._

 _... She was naked in his arms and his hands were exploring the smooth skin of her breasts ..._

 _... She was in her bed in the dark, touching herself and whispering his name. 'Professor Snape,' she breathed. 'Severus'..._

Abruptly, he pulled out of her mind. It had taken only a second to see everything, and her eyes were still on his, expectantly.

"Your potion requires more ground unicorn horn," he said.

He turned and strode to his desk.

* * *

 _ **Notes:** I love writing about Minerva McGonagall. She's so much fun! But not as much as Severus, of course._

 _Reviews make the world go round - please let me know what you think!_


	2. All In The Mind

**The Potions Master's Mistake**

By Louise Hilton

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - All In The Mind**

Severus was stunned.

His classroom was now empty of students, and the antidote to the Empathia was simmering in a small cauldron. If only he had a way to hurry it up. At the back of his mind was the foolish notion that as soon as he could take the antidote, all would be well. Too late, he told himself. The damage is done.

The idea that he might feel such emotions directed towards him from a student had never crossed his mind. His aim had been to learn more about how they felt about school, homework, friends, life … not about _him._

Damn Minerva Mcgonagall for ever putting the idea into his head!

And why had he chosen to use legilimency on her? He had taken only a cursory look at her thoughts - all that was possible without her being aware of it - so what he had seen must have been very close to the surface. He had seen the images in an instant, but as the cauldron bubbled his mind could not help but review them more slowly.

The images were so passionate - so sensual. He could almost smell her hair; feel her body pressed against his; the soft skin of her breasts under his fingertips.

What in Merlin's name was he doing? He couldn't allow himself to think these things about a student!

She was in her sixth year, which meant that she was either sixteen or seventeen. Was she of age? He shook his head, shocked and angry with himself. Did he just catch himself wondering whether his student was above the age of consent? This was insane!

He watched the cauldron, willing it to change the color that would indicate that the antidote was ready, trying to blot out the thoughts running through his mind.

 **~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~**

It was evening, and Severus had spent the last few hours able to think of little but the feelings and emotions he had discovered inside Miss Granger's head. Such passion beneath such a calm and controlled exterior. Just like himself, he thought, with a humorless snort.

It was his usual practice to read after dinner, and he sat down in his high-backed armchair with a potions book and a glass of whiskey. Of all the images he had seen in Miss Granger's mind, he found the one of them reading together the most intriguing. While the others were sensual and arousing, this was an image almost more alluring - that of sharing one of his most pleasurable habits with someone who could enjoy it as much as he did. Like him, she seemed to devour any book she got her hands on.

He thought back to the scene in her mind - her head resting on his leg, her hair falling softly around her shoulders. In his imagination he reached out a hand to touch her face and she looked up at him and smiled contentedly.

His mind drifted to her image of them kissing, then inexorably to where he was exploring her naked body with his hands. It was a beautiful body - small but perfect breasts, a slender waist, soft, warm, smooth skin. It was how she saw her own body, but if her perception was in any way inaccurate he suspected that she would be overly critical of herself. What would it be like to find out for himself?

He shook himself, angrily. Merlin, he needed to stop this! He forced his thoughts back to his book.

Later that night, lying alone in his bed, his thoughts were again firmly fixed on that soft skin. His body was responding to the memory of hers, and he could hear her voice whispering his name.

"Hermione!" he sighed into the silence.

 **~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~**

"Minerva, this is all your fault," he told her, two weeks later.

He had gone to her office and insisted that he needed her help. He had also insisted that he would need a drink.

"Severus," she admonished, "I suggested that you try to understand the students. How you chose to go about that is entirely your own responsibility."

"I know," he sighed. "I know."

He had told her everything and had watched her face grow shocked and worried.

"Looking into people's emotions is one thing, but I thought you and the headmaster had an agreement regarding legilimency."

He nodded and hung his head.

"Other people's feelings about you are none of your business unless they choose to share them! You have only yourself to blame if you found out things you were never intended to know."

Severus felt like he was a student again, receiving a lecture from the strict and unwavering Transfiguration teacher. It almost wouldn't have surprised him if she had said she was deducting house points from Slytherin.

"I totally agree," he insisted. "It was wrong and foolish and I wish by Slytherin's ghost I hadn't seen what I saw. But I did, and now I don't know what to do about it!"

She stared at him. "Do?" she said. "You don't _do_ anything about it! You invaded Miss Granger's privacy, learned things you shouldn't know, and now you must keep them to yourself."

He stood up and began to pace around her office.

"You don't understand, Minerva. I've been having … thoughts about her. Thoughts that I absolutely should not be having about a student." He saw her face turn white, but he had to carry on. "I saw her fantasies and now they're _my_ fantasies. They were very… sexual …, and believe me, Miss Granger has an extremely vivid imagination."

Minerva's pale face now flushed a little. "I … Do you think that maybe you should be having this conversation with Albus? Or perhaps Filius?"

"Dumbledore is over a hundred years old. And there is no-one else I trust more than you."

She regarded him with a worried smile. Perhaps the affection he had sensed from her really had been for him.

"Well, Severus," she said, after a pause, "I really can't see anything that can be done about it, now. The damage is done and there is nothing you can do to change that."

He hesitated. "There is something that would solve the problem," he ventured. "I need to forget everything I saw. A memory charm."

Her shocked look did not surprise him. Memory charms were notorious for magical disasters.

"I know that they can be dangerous," he reasoned, "but that is because they are usually performed against someone's will, and the subject fights against the charm. I am talking about us working together, with me a willing subject in complete control of which memories are changed or removed."

The older witch appeared to consider this carefully. "If I choose to help you, a safer option would be to store those memories instead of destroying them. That would help to repair any damage if anything went wrong."

Severus nodded in agreement.

"It would also," continued Minerva, "allow for the possibility of returning those memories to you at a later date."

"I had thought of that," he said. "I do not suggest this course of action lightly, Minerva. I find the concept of removing memories very unsettling, and having them returned - having my mind repaired at a later date - would be ideal. It is because Miss Granger is a student that I need to remove them. You could return them to me in two years or so when she no longer attends Hogwarts. Not as soon as she leaves - perhaps a few months later."

Minerva looked concerned. "Are you planning to act on those memories once Miss Granger is no longer a student?"

He continued pacing. "I do not know. But at least I will be not be spending the next two years lusting after a student."

"Are you certain that you would want the memories back?" Minerva asked. "Miss Granger may no longer feel the same way by then, or she may be involved with someone else."

Severus swallowed, unsure of how to explain. "Those memories are … intoxicating, Minerva. Unless you had a specific reason for denying them to me in the future, I would like to have them back."

Guilt hung heavily on his shoulders. What he meant, he knew, was that even if she no longer cared for him, he didn't want to deprive himself of her fantasies. He wanted the so-real images of her passionate lips on his, and her naked body in his arms. He had a feeling Minerva knew that, too, and his weakness sickened him.

"I will leave the decision to your judgment," he said finally.

She sighed. "Well, Severus, if you are sure about this, then we will need to be very careful about which memories to remove. Presumably all of the memories of what you saw in her mind?"

"Naturally. And," he hesitated, "my thoughts from the shower this morning. And in bed ..."

Minerva's face looked pained. "Why do I get the feeling that this will be a long process?"


	3. Making Memories

**The Potions Master's Mistake**

By Louise Hilton

 **Chapter 3 - Making Memories**

A bell tinkled lightly as Severus opened the door to the Apothecary's shop. It was early morning and most of the shops in Diagon Alley were not yet open, but Severus knew the Apothecary's hours well enough to be there within a few minutes of opening. He liked to be there when it was quiet.

On this morning, however, he was not the first customer. A familiar witch stood at the counter, talking to Henry Livre who stood behind it. Livre was paying close attention to her, watching her with the same expression on his face that Severus had often seen on the boys at school when they had looked at her.

"I also need some of the fairy teeth, Nile water and spruce sap," she was saying. "Do you think it makes a difference whether you use fresh or dried nettle leaves?"

Severus waited patiently. Seven years in his classroom, and even now she had left the school she was still asking questions. It had annoyed him for most of her time at Hogwarts, but in the last couple of years she had learned to control her tendency to show off, and he had come to respect her thirst for knowledge.

"That all depends on what you're using it for," Livre told her. "Now, from these ingredients, I'm thinking you're brewing a pain-relieving potion, so I'd definitely go with the fresh. The potency would be the same but fresh helps the effects of potions last longer."

"Fresh, then," she agreed. "What about the Cloverweed? I've never used it before. Would you recommend using the whole plant or just the leaves?"

The apothecary scratched his chin. "I usually crush the whole plant, but I can't think why you'd want to add it to a pain-reliever."

The two of them had been engrossed in their conversation, and neither had appeared to notice Severus, but he decided to speak up.

"I believe that the Cloverweed would have the effect of helping to ease the worries of the drinker," he said, "especially if combined with an agent such as gryphon claw to lower the boiling temperature before the final simmer."

The witch turned and smiled brightly at him. "Professor Snape," she said, "it's good to see you."

Severus gave her a slight nod. "Miss Granger."

The apothecary gave him a cheerful greeting, but his glance never left the witch before him for too long. "Good morning, Professor! I have your order all ready for you. I'll just package up this young lady's items and I'll get it for you."

He continued to weigh out and package the items on Miss Granger's list as he talked - entirely to her.

"I know that most of the shops don't open for another hour or so, but there are a few of us that are early birds. I don't usually have many customers at this time of day, but there are some like the Professor here who like to pick up their orders early."

"Actually, Mr. Livre, I have several things I wish to add to my order," Severus told him. "I realize that it may take a while."

Livre received Miss Granger's money but seemed to hold onto the package for a moment, as though reluctant to have her leave. And the young witch seemed to be in no hurry. Livre turned to Severus. "I see you have a list, Sir. Organized as always. If you have other things to do in Diagon Alley, I'd be happy to put this together for you and have it ready for you to pick up when you're done.

Severus had nothing else he needed to do, and his main wish was to leave as quickly as possible, before the street got too busy with the students he would be seeing in only a few days at the start of term. Perhaps staying in the shop to glare at the apothecary would hurry up his work. He was about to say he would remain when Miss Granger spoke.

"Professor," she said, "I need to wait until Flourish and Blotts opens, and I was about to get a coffee. Would you join me?"

Severus hesitated. The idea of going for coffee with a student was absurd, then he remembered that she was not a student any longer. The idea of him going for coffee with _anyone_ was unheard of, but it might be interesting to talk about potions with someone with her level of skill and appreciation of the subject. He glanced at the apothecary, who looked mortified by Miss Granger's invitation.

"Certainly," he told her.

She smiled and turned to thank Livre, then headed out of the door that Severus was holding open for her.

He felt awkward and uncomfortable. He simply was not the kind of person who interacted socially with people, and now to be walking through Diagon Alley with a former student was unknown territory for him. How did one 'chat', exactly?

"Was I correct about your reasons for adding Cloverweed to your potion?" he asked as they walked.

Miss Granger laughed softly. "Of course you were," she told him. "I hadn't thought about using Gryphon claw, but it would help a lot. I'd read about changing boiling points in 'Advanced Alchemical Achievements' but it hadn't occurred to me to apply it like that."

Severus couldn't help but be impressed. He knew of only a handful of potioneers who would make it through even the introduction to that book, but Miss Granger was an exceptional student. No, not a student, he reminded himself.

They reached the coffee shop and he held the door open for her. He was glad when she chose a table that was not in front of the window. The idea of sitting drinking coffee with her made him feel extremely self-conscious - he didn't need to be on view by people passing.

They ordered two coffees and he searched for something to say.

"You seem to be continuing with your potions studies independently," he commented. "Do you mind if I ask the purpose of your current concoction? It seems to have a rather specific aim."

A sad smile crossed her face. "It's for a muggle friend," she said. "I wouldn't try to interfere with muggle medicine, but her cancer is causing her a lot of pain. She's scared, and she's worried about her daughter and grandchildren. She probably only has a few months left, and I just want to make things easier for her."

"Who is she?" he asked.

"Her name is Mrs Shaw. She was my teacher in junior school. Well, she actually retired before I was born, but she still came in to help in classes. She was very kind. But then I've never met a teacher I didn't like."

She gave him a smile. He had been beginning to feel a little more at ease, but her comment caught him off guard. He had never really considered himself the kind of teacher that was liked by students. But then, coffee _had_ been her idea. She surely wouldn't have suggested it if she disliked him.

He struggled to find a response and he had the distinct impression that she deliberately gave him time to be uncomfortable before she continued.

"I told her daughter that I was making a herbal remedy, and that she should mix it with her tea."

"You're very kind, Miss Granger," he said softly, not quite sure whether he was referring to her care for her friend or her comment about teachers.

"Professor," she said after a moment, "I'm not a student any more. Do you think you could call me Hermione?"

He coughed and took a sip of his coffee.

"I will try." He felt that etiquette dictated he should ask her to call him Severus, but he just couldn't do it. It would be difficult enough to use her first name.

She changed the subject. "When Flourish and Blotts opens, I have a new book to pick up. Well, it's an old book, actually. It's called 'Remedies: a potioneer's encyclopedia'."

He looked at her in surprise. "A very old book indeed. I have a copy myself. Not a first edition, unfortunately."

Miss Granger - Hermione - gave what was almost a giggle, and her eyes twinkled. "Then I'm lucky that I managed to snap this one up before you found it."

He raised his eyebrows. "Very lucky," he agreed. "That would have made a nice addition to my collection of first editions."

As they talked, Severus found that he was enjoying her company. They ordered more coffee as they discussed the books in his collection and it was refreshing to talk to someone who knew many of the titles and could appreciate their worth.

When she asked whether he read only potions books, he felt pleased to be able to tell her of his other interests and to discuss other subjects.

Her own library seemed equally eclectic, though understandably smaller. There was one area where her knowledge and her book collection vastly outshone his - fiction.

"For some reason, Hermione," he explained, trying out her name for the first time and attempting to make it sound comfortable, "the wizarding world does not produce much in the way of literature, and I have little access to muggle works. Flourish and Blotts has only a limited selection."

"I'd be happy to lend some to you," she said, brightly. She gave him a sly smile. "And perhaps I can borrow your first edition of Seruma Solute's 'Comprehensive Guide to Potions and Lotions'?"

At this, Severus heard himself actually laugh.

"Perhaps I can borrow _your_ new acquisition," he countered.

"Deal!" laughed Hermione. "But not today. I get to read it first! Shall we walk over to the bookstore and I can pick it up now?"

Severus looked around the coffee shop uneasily. It was busier than it had been before, although he had not noticed anyone else arrive.

"I do not usually stay in Diagon Alley this long, especially just before the start of term. I only come at this time of year so my ingredients are fresh for the new year," he admitted. "I feel … uncomfortable… running into students."

"Then I'm glad I'm not a student," she said with a smile.

Severus had the appalling notion that he might be blushing.

"I have an idea," she said. "It won't take me long to read my new book a few times. How about we meet for a coffee a week on Saturday. We could trade books."

He hesitated, then pushed himself out of his comfort zone.

"I would like that," he said.

They agreed on a time and location - Mme. Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade, as it was not a Hogsmeade weekend for the students.

"I've just remembered," she said, suddenly, opening her bag. "I never go anywhere without books, and I do have one fiction in here that you might like."

"It does not surprise me in the least that you have books in your bag," he commented with a wry smile.

She pulled out a thick paperback and held it out to him. "Have you read it?"

He looked at the title: Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

"I have not. Thank you, Hermione. I shall return it when we meet."

"Goodbye, Professor," she smiled. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I'll see you next Saturday."

Hermione headed off in the direction of the bookstore, and Severus walked towards the apothecary Livre's shop.

Had he really just spent over two hours talking to Hermione Granger? The girl who had annoyed him so much for years? He had not only enjoyed her company, but he had smiled and even laughed. He did those things so rarely that he was surprised the muscles in his face even knew how.

He tucked her book into an inner pocket of his robes as he stepped inside the shop, hearing the bell tinkle.

There were a number of people inside the shop now - likely all picking up school supplies. A sixth-year boy nodded to him and muttered a brief greeting. Two third-years broke off their giggling as they saw him and hurried away to the safety of their parents, and a pair of twin boys with the unmistakable look of new first-years gazed up at him in awe.

"Ah, Professor Snape," called out Livre as he saw him, "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten your order."

Was it his imagination or was the wizard's smile less friendly than it had been?

"The customer that was here earlier ... " Severus suspected that he was trying to sound casual. " … is she a student of yours?"

"No," he responded, succinctly.

"She's a … erm … fascinating young lady. Beautiful, too."

Severus looked at him in silence, then turned away and left.

 **~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~**

Severus met Hermione twice in Hogsmeade before he decided to speak to Minerva.

They had exchanged several books and discussed them at great length and he had found himself smiling more and more often in her company. The last time they met, he had asked her to call him Severus and he liked the sound of it when she complied. Having never thought of it until Livre had mentioned it, he had decided that he wholeheartedly agreed with his assessment that she was beautiful. Everything from her bright eyes to her graceful hands and her incredible intellect was beautiful.

He knocked at Minerva's door.

"I would like your advice on a personal matter, Minerva," he said, without preamble.

"Then you had better come in, Severus," she said with a smile.

He sat down in the chair opposite her desk and was surprised when, without asking him, she placed a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"I would like to ask you about the propriety of a relationship with a former student," he said slowly, looking at his glass instead of at her.

"I see. Would this be a student who has only recently left the school?" She waited for his nod before continuing. "Did this relationship begin before she left Hogwarts?"

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, genuinely shocked at the idea.

"No!" he insisted. "I never thought of her that way at all. We barely said a word to each other outside of lessons. And not much even during lessons. I could never think that way about a student."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said.

"At the moment, there is no relationship. We met by chance in Diagon Alley and we've met for coffee twice in Hogsmeade. I don't even know if she's interested in being more than friends and I don't know if it would be right. I think many people would disapprove of a teacher in a relationship with a former student. And she's half my age."

Minerva looked fondly at him. "Severus," she said, "I cannot tell you whether or not you should pursue a closer relationship with Miss Granger, but as your colleague and as deputy headmistress, I will say that although it would be unconventional I would not consider it unethical. As your friend, I will say that the two of you are well-suited."

He started when she said Hermione's name, but then smiled at her words. "Thank you, Minerva."

By the time he left the office, his thoughts were entirely focused on the next day's coffee date.

 **~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~**

It took two more meetings before their fingers began to touch over coffee, and another before they were walking in the quiet paths around Hogsmeade holding hands as they talked.

In November, wrapped in thick cloaks and with a light snow falling around them, they stood in the small park on the outskirts of the village. Severus brushed a snowflake from her face and lightly caressed her cheek with his thumb. She looked up into his face, smiling her beautiful gentle smile. Tenderly, he bent to bring his lips to hers for the first time.

 **~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~ SS ~~~**

Minerva Mcgonagall heard Pomona Sprout chuckle as they headed back to the school from the Three Broomsticks. She followed her gaze to where two figures held each other in an embrace.

"That's the way to stay warm," Pomona observed, then sighed. "Ah, young love."

A moment later, she stopped in her tracks. "Wait!" she gasped. "That couldn't be … Is that Severus? Who is he kissing?"

Minerva turned back to where her friend had stopped, staring. "That would be Hermione Granger." She took Pomona's arm and began leading her along.

"But ...Hermione Granger?"

"She's not a student any more, Pomona. Can you think of anyone else who would be Severus' equal for intellect and passion for knowledge?"

Pomona spluttered, trying to find words. "I did notice him smiling the other day," she said, eventually. "I assumed he was ill."

They turned a corner and the lovers were out of sight. Pomona seemed lost in thought.

Minerva smiled to herself, happy for her friend. The memories she had removed from Severus' mind were still safe in her office. She had long suspected that her final decision would be not to return those memories, and she felt that this confirmed that decision.

In time, Hermione might choose to tell Severus how long she had had feelings for him, and if she chose not to, that was her prerogative. In the meantime, the fantasies that should have remained private would be replaced by memories that they would create together.

 _Ah, young_ _love,_ she sighed to herself.


End file.
